


I'd Be Alright With That

by Lacrow



Category: Chainsaw Man (Manga)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Spoilers up to chapter 20, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-09-03
Packaged: 2020-10-06 14:56:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20508881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lacrow/pseuds/Lacrow
Summary: Denji's had a question plaguing his mind all week, and only Makima can give him an answer. Unfortunately, an impromptu devil slaying job derails his plans to ask her. Hopefully he can survive long enough to get the chance to.





	I'd Be Alright With That

He was finally going to ask her the question that had been nagging him for almost a week.

Denji wasn’t sure when the idea had popped into his head; He knew that it came suddenly and inexplicably, sometime between Meowy waking him up in the middle of the night and the eventual bitching he got from Power because _ apparently _ he had traumatized the stupid cat by kicking it out of his room. Regardless of _ when, _the nagging thought took root in that sleep-deprived head of his and stayed there. Not even a marathon manga binge could take his mind off it, nor the nudie magazines that he bumped off that dead guy that one time.

Okay, well, maybe the magazines helped _ a little bit. _But only for a while. Then, he was right back to thinking about it.

He wasn’t the type to dwell on stuff, especially hypothetical bullshit that you couldn’t really answer one way or the other. But therein lies the problem...he knew that _ she _could answer his question. There was an answer, he just didn’t know it himself. That was the part that bugged him the most, probably the one thing that kept him thinking about it day in and day out. Even during breakfast; The allure of five different kinds of jams and jellies all smothered together on a piece of toast was like heaven on earth, or at least that’s how it usually felt. But dammit, if he wasn’t thinking about it then, too! He couldn’t even enjoy the simple things in life anymore!

It bugged him. So much so that he had finally summoned the courage to ask her to meet up with him today.

It came in the guise of something important. Like, _ really _ important. Normally, he couldn’t get a hold of her all willy nilly. Most of the time she was holed up in her office or away on meetings, and the only times he was usually there was because she had invited him in. Denji had to get a little creative in getting her attention, but he also didn’t want to _ lie _ to her. So, he just passed along a message via some of the other devil hunters. _ I need to talk to you about Gun Devil, it’s important. _ He figured that was vague enough, and would still get her attention without resulting in him getting punished for wasting her time. It did kind of involve Gun Devil, anyway. Throw in a couple details about meeting up in private, and boom, meeting set.

Honestly, though, part of him didn’t think it would work out so well. He kind of just assumed she’d brush him off and stop by Aki’s office to ask him what the hell was going on. Half of Denji was legitimately surprised that standing at the glassdoor of a coffee shop, one he figured she’d find _ mature _or something, was Ms. Makima. The front of her hair hung neat and low on both sides, as always, and her ponytail flung itself over the black suit that always seemed just a size too big for her. She caught sight of him immediately, sitting there awkwardly with his back to the table, elbows resting on it as he slunk. The woman gave him an even smile.

God, he fucking loved her.

Immediately, Denji popped to attention. That laid back persona of his was whipped straight in her presence, along with his head and spine. Now on his feet, he gave an awkward grin and meager wave. Ms. Makima ushered herself through the door and got out of the way for several leaving patrons, which only served to draw out the moment and give Denji enough time to realize what he’d just gotten himself into. She had actually shown up. She was expecting something important, maybe information concerning Gun Devil. Even if he _ hadn’t _technically lied about anything, Denji knew that this probably wasn’t going to end well for him at all.

All of this, just to ask a stupid question. “Ms. Makima! Thanks for showing up, I know you’re probably really busy.”

“Very,” she replied back, still with that mild smile of hers. Denji cringed internally. “So, what’s this all about?”

As Makima approached ever closer, Denji found himself shaking in the knees. His plan was barely a plan at all, just a ploy to get her here. Now he had to explain himself, but there was no way in hell he was going to do that. At least, not without stalling for as much time as possible first. He had to pretend like there was something important to talk about, at least until he could come up with a better strategy. Yeah, that’s it! He’d just...act like he knew stuff about Gun Devil, like, where to find another piece of his flesh? Hey, that’s a good one!

“I, uh, know where another Gun Devil piece is!” He exclaimed rather excitedly, believing himself for a second.

Ms. Makima raised a brow and tilted her head ever-so-slightly. “You do? Well, where can we find it?

Fuck! You weren’t supposed to _ blurt it out like that, _Denji! It was supposed to buy time! He straight up lied to Ms. Makima’s face, and now he had to cover up the lie that he used to cover up his initial lie! Already Denji’s head was spinning at just how quickly things were spiraling out of control. He was never good with the brainy stuff...maybe he should have just asked her from the get-go? Gah! It was too late to back out now. He had to think of something, and fast!

“Y-Yeah, it’s pretty close by…” Denji stammered, scratching the back of his head. “...I’m just, not, exactly, sure, where…?”

His eye was twitching nervously. Ms. Makima’s curious stare only made him feel the spotlight even more, and needless to say he was no performer. Shit was going downhill quick, and he needed a miracle to pull himself out of it. As the words trickled from his lips, Denji seriously considered just dropping the act altogether and coming clean. Maybe she’d respect him more for it? Like, an upstanding kind of guy? She seemed like she’d go for that kind of man, at least….

“...I see what you mean,” Makima’s cool voice cut through Denji’s internal dilemma, wrenching away his attention.

Zeroing in on the woman, he found his miracle in the form of a chunk of floating metal that dangled from her neck. He hadn’t noticed it there before. Had she always that thing? It would make sense if she did, since Aki had one just like it. Maybe she brought it along today, just in case? Either way, Denji knew what it was; A chunk of that bastard Gun Devil’s flesh, those things always floated in the air when another one was nearby. The first thought that crossed Denji’s mind was how lucky he was, knowing full well that Ms. Makima would buy his story now, hook, line, and sinker.

Of course, that thought was immediately followed by another, much less satisfying one. His face went from elated to downright terrified, because even he knew that when there was a piece of Gun Devil around, trouble was sure to follow. He looked into Ms. Makima’s eyes to find the slightest hint of concern staring back at him, and immediately regretted asking her to come here. Before there was a chance to ask anything or formulate some sort of plan, the entire cafe was rocked by a sudden jolt. Like a million firecrackers all going off at once, the building exploded with sound and motion.

People’s screams filled the coffee shop as Denji and Makima struggled to keep their footing. Almost all of the other patrons wound up on the ground as pieces of ceiling fell to the floor around them, nothing big enough to hurt anyone but still scaring them all shitless. Outside, a commotion of people and panic swept the streets. It was hard to tell anything for sure, but Denji could see most of them running away from one side of the street. Something was out there, and it was the cause of this disturbance.

His first priority, though, was Ms. Makima. He stumbled towards her while wrestling with a few remaining aftershocks. She didn’t seem to need any help though; She was way more composed than he was, and kept her footing better than him, too. Still, Denji offered an arm to help, but Makima refused him outright. She held up a hand as if to silence him or gather his attention, before pointing outside with her other one. All the while, that chunk of metal continued to float ominously from her necklace.

“Go kill that devil,” She instructed. Her position over him was on full display now. “I want that piece.”

...Dammit. All he wanted was an answer. Now, he had to fight devils on his day off. With a grimace that he was sure even Ms. Makima would notice, Denji nodded solemnly. He shuffled past her and through the door, not caring nor trying to dodge as scores of people made their escape from maniacal laughter just out of sight. He’d heard the schtick before; Devil wants to eat people, goes into great detail about how he’s going to eat people, gets his ass kicked by yours truly, and everyone goes home. Rinse, repeat, he knew what to expect.

This time was going to be a little different, though. Even Denji had to admit, things would be a lot harder with this devil, since it more than likely had a piece of Gun Devil’s flesh in it. What exactly that entailed, he didn’t know. All he _ did _know was that the thing must have been pretty strong to just brazenly attack a crowded city street like that. He turned half-heartedly to find the source of the disturbance, only to find a giant chunk of steel and concrete barreling towards him .

His eyes widened. Heart skipped for the briefest of seconds. Before Denji even realized it, his body had already acted. Tangled on his thumb was the ripcord of his heart, pulled taut as far as the man’s arm would go. Debris flirted dangerously close to his face before being eviscerated by a chainsaw as it erupted from his forehead. The split chunks flew past either side of him, whipping his tie around as two more chainsaws unsheathed from his forearms. A helmet of blood, steel, and razor-wire fangs encased what remained of his human self. The devil was out now, and it had a job to do.

“Watch where you’re slinging your shit!” He barked, trying to see through a cloud of dust.

The last few civilians scampered out of the debris, too panicked and distracted to be afraid of Denji. That was better for him, since he could focus now on the devil as its form started to emerge. Even from far down the street, Denji could see the giant, metallic attachments that took up essentially all of the creature’s arms. A familiar, human-shaped figure stood before him, though its head was reminiscent of his own; Instead of a chainsaw, however, this devil had what looked like a giant piston jutting out from its forehead. All of it was just one huge piece of construction equipment. Like…

“...A jackhammer devil?” Denji tilted his head. “Why do you look so much like a human? Are you part devil like me?”

“**Who cares what I look like!? All I know is if I’m gonna feast on these humans, I have to get through you first!”**

Hard to argue with that logic. At least Denji could kill this guy with a clear conscious, not that he had any doubts before, anyway. The feeling was only reinforced when the devil went on the attack. It pulled one of its arms back and, with a whirl of metal, launched it into the asphalt beneath its feet. A huge slab of city street was launched forward towards Denji, much faster than the last little piece that was flung at him before. With a bloody growl, the chainsaw man threw all three of his blades up to meet the projectile. Sparks and the sound of scraping stone filled the length of the street, causing any remaining people there to cover their ears and close their eyes. Tiny chunks flew everywhere as the biggest pieces continued flying, zooming by Denji as he parted them.

He was distracted, or maybe the devil was just that fast. Either way, before Denji had time to recuperate from his last defense, three giant pistons met him face to face. The distance this guy could clear in such a short amount of time, it was insane! Frantically, Denji brought his blades down. Metal on metal screeched, again sparks flying as pieces of one another burned off on contact. The enemy devil sneered before pulling his arms back and to do what jackhammers do best.

Pummel the shit outta stuff. **“This is gonna hurt, and I’m gonna enjoy it!”**

Much like Denji’s own, the devil’s engine whirred. The pieces of heavy machinery it had for arms suddenly came to life, oscillating so fast that Denji could barely even see it. He didn’t have any time to figure out how to dodge the thing; He was powerless as the devil came back to meet his chainsaws, which immediately resulted in a sickening clang of steel and shattered teeth. Denji roared in pain as his blades cracked from the constant assault of the devil’s jackhammers, forcing him to pull back and try to dodge its advance. That didn’t work out for him, as before he knew it the bastard was right there in his face again.

**“Crunch time, chainsaw!”  
**

A wrought iron ping. The sudden crack of his helmet. Denji froze, the force of the devil’s forehead piston lodged in his skull stilled the hunter’s blades. The buzz from his saws ceased, leaving the air quiet as he stood there face-to-face with the jackhammer. Chunks of bloody metal fell to the floor, followed by the rest of Denji as he landed backwards with a thud. It was silent, until it wasn’t; When the mad cackle of a devil who’d just gotten the upper hand in the fight started to rumble, leaving Denji there out of commission, for the moment.

Satisfied, the jackhammer searched for new prey. With a dry spit, he found that almost all of the civilians had evacuated. His had to put his feast on hold for the moment, but that didn’t mean he had to go hungry. There was still a little snack waiting for him, and he found it standing conveniently in front of a cafe, no less. Though part of him thought this particular human was insane to just be standing there in the middle of all this, while sipping on a cup of coffee no less, the devil would take what he could get. With another sudden shift of breakneck speed, he was there in front of her. His engine came to life in delight.

**“Must be pretty good coffee,” ** the devil hummed, its jackhammers moving up and down slowly. **“To get killed over, I mean.”**

“Not particularly. They ran out of creamer,” Makima replied back evenly. Her eyes narrowed a fraction of a degree.

Another mad cackle. Pistons came to life, much faster than before. **“Is that so! Well I hope they had sugar, at least! I want my appetizer to be sweet~!”   
**

Unfazed, Makima stood her ground as the devil unfurled his killing intent. The creature opened its arms as if to envelop her in what was now a cacophony of steel and motion. All three of its jackhammers ran at full speed, its blood pumping in anticipation. He took a step forward, but that’s as far as the devil ended up getting. Lost in the euphoria of a potential meal, it wasn’t paying attention like it should have been. By the time it looked down, it was already too late.

A pair of arms came from underneath and restrained him, as a familiar whirl of a bitted chainsaw squealed in the devil’s ear. Only, this time, the sound was much louder than before. The jackhammer devil looked to his right, only to find its own reflection in steel staring back at him. There was a new ferocity in the chainsaw man’s demeanor, and the devil could feel it even without seeing his face. A guttural hiss escaped from Denji’s helmet like gasoline, sickening even the creature with his venom.

** _“IF YOU TOUCH MS. MAKIMA I’LL FUCKING SLAUGHTER YOU…! ACTUALLY, I’M JUST GONNA SLAUGHTER YOU, ANYWAY!”_ **

Denji roared as he pulled his arms down, dragging the screeching teeth of his chainsaw arms across the devil’s bare chest. A scream of agony burst from the creature’s lungs, its volume doubling when the sadistic hunter lowered the chainsaw on his forehead into the devil’s shoulder. A splatter of blood painted the entire area, somehow missing Makima completely as she watched in cold silence. It went on like that for what felt like an eternity, neither devil able or willing to move.

Then came the counterattack. Vital fluid drenching his helmet made it difficult to see, so much so that Denji didn’t notice as the jackhammer devil aimed its arms backwards. Even over the sound of wrenched flesh and viscera, an audible _ Click _filled the air. Denji paused his assault, just long enough to feel two giant pistons smash into his torso. All the air in his lungs left him as the rest of his body was sent flying backwards, so fast that he smashed into the building all the way across the street. Glass, concrete, and rebar were flung everywhere. In their place, a human shaped divot.

A shockwave from the blast whipped the air into a frenzy, causing Makima’s hair to blow backwards. Her stare became a little more somber, but still she said nothing. The jackhammer devil hissed in pain and turned from her, now completely focused on his opponent instead of dinner. Makima took a sip from her coffee as she watched the creature pop its back and neck with a grunt. It shuddered at the effort; Makima could tell that Denji’s attack had at least been effective.

**“Not bad, kid,” ** The devil admitted. Steam started to rise from his already-closing wounds. **“Wouldn’t call it a ** ** _slaughter, _ ** **though-!”**

-The devil reeled. Already knocking at his doorstep was the chainsaw man, a red afterglow of evil eyes trailing in the air as he came up from underneath at breakneck speed. This time the frantic one, jackhammer was pushed to defend. He brought his arms up just in time to feel Denji’s onslaught of teeth and metal. The devil hunter gave a malicious squeal of laughter as sparks flew, making even jackhammer quake in fear.

**“-** ** _IT’S NOT A SLAUGHTER ‘TIL I CUT THAT PIECE OUT OF YOUR CORPSE!”_ **

Both devils struggled for dominance. They pushed against each other with all they had, neither letting up. They seemed evenly matched, for a time. Then, the enemy devil dropped his assault altogether. He leaned back just like before and ducked down, pulling his arms back to pound into Denji once more. The jackhammers spun into full power, and in an instant they were thrust towards the chainsaws in a final bid to destroy them for good.

Unlike last time, however, Denji was ready. As their steel just barely began to meet, Denji retracted his arm blades. Spike-teeth widened in an evil grin as jackhammer stabbed empty air, leaving himself completely open to Denji’s next attack. He knew it too, with a tell-tale look of horror that sent the devil hunter cackling in demented glee. Denji pulled back and got into position, taking great pleasure in what was about to come next.

** _“CRUNCH TIME, JACKHAMMER!”_ **

Chainsaws erupted from the man’s forearms, directly into the exposed torso of his prey. From there, several things happened; First came the screams, all of which came courtesy of the jackhammer as two giant chunks of metal tore him from the inside out. Second was the blood, as it rained down like a summer storm and covered everything including the spot Makima had been moments prior, before she had the sense to walk underneath an awning. Third was the cackling that sounded like jackhammer’s before, only this time it came from Denji as he slipped into devilish, baser tendencies.

He started to pull and slice in all directions with his blades, only earning him more tortured screams and blood splatter. The hunter used all three chainsaws, spinning and flinging around like some kind of demented whirlwind. Chopping, slicing, ripping, destroying, he did everything to every chunk of the enemy devil’s body. Jackhammer was powerless and frozen, unable to move as he disappeared slowly, piece by piece.

These wounds didn’t regenerate. Denji made sure they wouldn’t. He cut them down faster than they could repair themselves, and the devil gave him no resistance. Almost as if it already knew, the creature seemed to accept its fate as the screaming ceased and chainsaws slowed. From that point on, everything turned into a slick, goopy blur for Denji. He remembered the feeling of the devil’s core as he sliced through it, and its owner’s final shudder. He remembered standing over the hundred or so chunks of flesh as they started to evaporate into aether. After that, though, nothing.

Not until he opened his eyes again. When he found himself lying on his back, clothes scuffed and tattered like every other time he went devil. Sore and bruised, he looked up to find a familiar pair of eyes staring down at him. Behind them, a pleasant smile that told him she was pleased with his performance. Denji glanced at tiny glint in her hand, no doubt the piece she’d tasked him with getting.

“Nice job, Denji,” Makima congratulated, offering a hand to help him up. “We’re one step closer to finding Gun Devil.”

He stared at her hand, but didn’t take it. Part of it had to do with him simply being too tired to reach up and grab it, but the other part was that he couldn’t. Not yet. Denji realized that now was probably the time; He’d done what was asked of him. He covered his butt with a conveniently appropriate story. He’d protected her, and everyone else in the city. If there was going to be an opportunity to finally ask her the question that had been plaguing him all week, he had to make it now.

“...Ms. Makima,” he croaked, tracing the length of her body with his eyes. “Would you ever get rid of me?”

“Hm? I told you I would, if you ever ran.” The woman replied without missing a beat, as if shooting the breeze.

Denji shook his head. “No, not that. I mean...when I beat Gun Devil, and I get my wish, is it gonna be...all over, after that?”

Makima tilted her head to the side. He could tell she didn’t really understand what he meant. With an exhausted sigh, the man slowly creaked upright. Makima meanwhile retracted her hand and held it behind her, patiently waiting for Denji to clarify. It took him longer to find the words than he thought it would; After all, he’d had all this time to think of what to say. Go figure his mind would go blank right at the worst possible moment.

“Gun Devil’s the big bad, right? Like in the manga I read. Once he goes down, everyone lives happily ever after.”

“...I guess you could see it like that, yes.” Ms. Makima couldn’t help but raise a brow in amusement.

Denji looked at her, then at the floor. “I’m gonna beat him. I’m gonna get that wish. But…”

“You’re afraid I was lying about the wish?” she asked. “Is that it? Because I wasn’t.”

“No! I trust you, Ms. Makima! It’s just...I don’t...that is to say, I, uh...dammit…”

Denji ruffled the hair on his head. He knew what he wanted to say, so why was it so hard to just come out and say it? Maybe...he didn’t want to hear Ms. Makima’s answer? At this point though, he couldn’t chicken out, regardless of what she might say. Summoning all of his courage, Denji took a deep breath and stared right up into Makima’s eyes. She stared back, though confusion dusted her face.

“When I beat Gun Devil, that’ll mean I’m stronger than him. The whole point of this is to kill a devil, not replace him with another one...”

Denji continued. “...Am I just gonna be leftovers when we win? The kind that needs to be trashed, y’know, permanently…?”

Makima said nothing. That was usually her response, to just stand there and watch. A queasy feeling ached in Denji’s stomach, as he wasn’t sure to take her silence as confirmation of his fears or not. He felt like he already knew the answer though, and the thought of hearing it out loud terrified him. He clenched his teeth and balled a fist, deciding that regardless of the outcome he was going to let his feelings known. He was owed that much, at least.

“...I know I’m just government property at this point. You can do whatever you want with me and no one would care. Hell, I’m sure the average person would be happy another devil got put down...”

“...And if that’s really what you intend to do, then…” Denji gulped. “...I want you to know that I’d be alright with that. I’d just...like to know ahead of time. Like, a courtesy, or something.”

He stared at the floor. “I’ve got a good life thanks to you, Ms. Makima. You were the one who made my dreams come true, so, if you wanted to end them, too, it’d only be fair-”

“-Denji?” A swatch of reddish hair suddenly swayed into Denji’s field of view. He turned to his left to find Makima kneeling on her toes, face close to his.

“Yeah?” The man deflated. His heavy breath carried with it a mountain of anxiety and exhaustion. Normally he’d be blushing, but not this time.

He’d never felt more unsure of both himself and Ms. Makima before. Her face was unreadable. “It seems like you’ve got a lot on your mind.”

Denji didn’t know what to say or think. He just stared into calm, ringed eyes as they seemingly peered into his soul. There was no way to read her, and for a moment Denji just assumed that this was going to be the end of their conversation. She’d get up, tell him to dust himself off, and head back to HQ so they could fill out paperwork. That’s what he expected, but she ended up surprising him. After a moment of silence between them, Makima’s expression softened. A smile graced her face, one that finally earned the scarlet cheeks that Denji usually had in her presence.

“Udon or soba?” she asked airily, her smile growing slightly at the man’s confusion.

“Huh?” Denji’s face only grew more red as Makima broughts hers in closer.

“Do you want udon or soba noodles for lunch? I’m buying, my treat.”

The man stammered. “S-Soba sounds good but...I can’t really move at the moment.”

He was partially telling the truth; It was hard to get up, but he totally could if he wanted to. Denji wasn’t really sure what he was hoping to accomplish by lying like that, maybe to get some kind of cheap sympathy from Ms. Makima. Problem was, he knew she was way too smart to fall for something like that. The woman supported her head on an open palm, the same smile still on her face but with a hint of knowing behind it. He grinned meekly, already knowing he was caught red-handed.

“...Hm,” Makima hummed. “I guess that just means I’ll have to feed you, then.”

Denji’s eyes shot open. He half-heartedly tried to say something, but immediately caught himself. Ms. Makima’s offer was both appreciated and very much wanted, and there was no way in hell he was going to pass on it. Sweat beaded on his forehead as she gripped the back of his shirt and took a hand in hers. Together they rose to their feet; To be fair it was difficult for Denji at first, his joints popping back into place as he flexed them. Ms. Makima said nothing, even after seeing firsthand just how much he could actually move on his own.

With her arms around him, the two started off to go find a noodle shop. He figured the food was going to be mostly for him. Makima was probably going to be making a lot of phone calls to get a clean up crew to get rid of all this mess, and she probably wasn’t going to eat much. Denji just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have lunch with her, though. He was more than happy to be selfish for the moment, if only because deep down he knew that she hadn’t actually answered his question.

Maybe she wasn’t at liberty to answer him directly. Maybe she hadn’t made up her mind, yet. Or, maybe, this was her answer. Whatever the case was, Denji had already made his peace. He was happy right now. Makima had her arms around him. She was going to feed him. Maybe for other people that wouldn’t have been enough, but for him it was. More than enough, in fact. He wasn’t lying about what he’d told her before. If she wanted to end his dreams, he’d be okay with that.

As long as she was the one to do it. He hoped she would honor that request.

Denji had enough trust in her to know she’d at least give him that much.


End file.
